Kitchen Garden of Anet (Le potager d'Anet) 

Jacques Maret's "Kitchen Garden of Anet" is a monochrome print that captures a formal garden with an almost architectural precision. The composition is neatly divided into distinct zones: the reflective water in the foreground, the structured garden in the middle ground, and the dense foliage in the background. This creates a sense of depth and order. Maret’s use of hatching and cross-hatching defines each element, giving texture to the water, solidity to the garden walls, and detail to the cultivated plots. The linear perspective draws our eye from the water lilies to the ordered rows of plants and the geometric greenhouses, culminating in the natural disorder of the trees beyond. The artwork employs signs of cultivation and control contrasted with the natural environment. This play disrupts the conventional separation of nature and artifice. The garden is structured yet yields organic forms. The reflections in the water destabilize fixed viewpoints. These contrasts invite a broader cultural reflection on our relationship with the natural world. Ultimately, the print captures the structured beauty of a garden that both orders and celebrates nature.